Norwich Folk Club Annual General Meeting will take place at 8 pm on Friday 8 February. The club is run by a committee, who will report on the events of the past year. All club members are invited to attend the meeting. This will be followed by a singaround, open to all listeners, singer and players, from about 9 pm. Bring your own refreshments – teas and coffee available.
Category Archives: Event
Showcase with Poacher on 1 February
June Thaine, David Robertson and Kevin Green
Special showcase guests at the singaround on Friday 1 February are popular local trio, June Thaine, David Robertson and Kevin Green, otherwise known as Poacher. We look forward to hearing a variety of traditional and more recent songs, sung in close harmony.
Other singers and players are also welcome to take part in the singaround. Entry free. Please bring your own liquid refreshments – teas and coffee available.
John Ward and Mario Price on 18 January POSTPONED
John Ward and Mario Price
Unfortunately the forecast blizzards have caused this gig to be POSTPONED to the autumn. The club will not meet this Friday.
Talented East Anglian-based singer-songwriter and guitarist John Ward also plays several other instruments, most notably the bodhran, on which he delivers trademark showstopping solos. John has toured extensively across England and overseas, and plays regularly with his musical partner, the outstanding violinist, Mario Price. Together, this popular duo always present an energetic and entertaining set.
John and Mario will be performing a highly eclectic mix of John’s original compositions, traditional songs and popular standards, punctuated by Mario’s beautiful and high-energy instrumentals.
Bring your own refreshments – teas and coffee are available. Reserve tickets (£9 or £6 for club members) by emailing via the contact box on the ‘About the club’ page.
Norwich Folk Club’s Annual General Meeting will take place at 8 pm on Friday 8 February, to be followed at approximately 9 pm by a singaround. All club members are invited to attend the meeting and the singaround is open to everyone, as usual.
New Year’s Eve Party
Norwich Folk Club continues to meet every Friday, with a singaround on Friday 28 December in the upstairs room, as usual. Everyone is welcome, whether to listen, sing or play.
On Monday 31 December we are holding our New Year’s Eve Party, with lots of songs and tunes. (Unfortunately the band is indisposed and not able to play for dancing this year.) Free entry. Bring songs, tunes, and party pieces, as well as your own drinks and some food to share. Prizes also welcomed for the grand Christmas raffle. Come along and join the festivities!
Bill Caddick on 14 December
Bill Caddick
As a special Christmas treat, we look forward to welcoming singer-songwriter Bill Caddick who, among many career highlights, worked with the Albion Band during the production of Larkrise to Candleford and The Passion, and was also a founder member of legendary folk-rock band The Home Service, as well as being the creator of such firm favourites as ‘Unicorns’ and ‘Cloud Factory’.
Bill’s songs have been recorded by the likes of June Tabor, Chris Foster, Alex Campbell, The Yetties, Christy Moore, Peter Rowan, John Kirkpatrick, Artisan, Coope, Boyes and Simpson and many others throughout the world.
We are also very pleased to welcome back the accomplished acoustic singer of traditional songs, Kirsty Bromley, as a support performer.
Kirsty Bromley
We first met Kirsty in the guise of babysitter to the stars, when Nancy Kerr and James Fagan were last in Norwich. Since then her singing career has blossomed and, among other exciting achievements, Kirsty was a finalist at the New Roots competition at St Albans in April this year.
Bring your own refreshments. Teas and coffee available. Reserve tickets (£9) by contacting us through the email link on the ‘About the club’ page.
Bob Wood on 2 November
Bob Wood
Our guest performer, Bob Wood, hails from the west of Scotland but is based nowadays in London. A warm and engaging solo singer and performer with an easy going sense of humour, he is known also as a highly accomplished finger style guitarist. Exploring a range of open tunings, his playing and song interpretations have been described as displaying a rare sensitivity, lightness of touch and great technique.
Bob’s regular repertoire nowadays retains firm links with the tradition, but includes also a splendid array of more contemporary songs. Expect therefore to hear material ranging from Robert Burns to Pete Morton; from Archie Fisher to Hank Williams; plus a smattering of pipe, harp and other tunes on guitar.
Reserve tickets (£8) by emailing via the link on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Various teas and coffee available.
Singarounds continue every Friday throughout the year. Free entry. All listeners, singers and musicians welcome. Showcase guests at the singaround on 16 November are the Old Wild Rovers, the resident band at Blakeney Harbour Room. Rousing shanties to warm a November evening!
David Drinkwater and Pete Wilkes on 19 October
The showcase guests at the singaround on Friday are well-known local performers, David Drinkwater and Pete Wilkes. We look forward to an evening of some of our very favourite songs. Other singers, musicians and listeners are also very welcome. Free entry. Bring your own refreshments. Various teas and coffee available.
Pilgrims’ Way on 5 October
Pilgrims’ Way
Pilgrims’ Way are named for the Rudyard Kipling poem, set to music by Peter Bellamy. They are Edwin Beasant (melodeons, guitar, bass) with Lucy Wright (vocals, jews harp, second fiddle) and Tom Kitching (fiddle, mandolin, reluctant vocals).
Their influences individually are many and varied, but they share a deep respect for the tradition and take as their inspiration some of the most influential bands from the 60s/70s revival.Their aim is to present gimmick-free English folk of the finest kind.
Pilgrims’ Way were nominated for the Horizon Award at the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. They were also winners of the FATEA Tradition award 2011 and nominated for the Spiral Earth Awards 2012 for best debut album.
In support is the winner of the Welsh Young Performers’ Award 2012 and a nominee for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2012, Sunjay Brayne. An accomplished guitarist, Sunjay was one of most outstanding New Roots finalists this year.
Reserve tickets (£8) by emailing via the link on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.
David Gibb and Elly Lucas on 14 September
Elly Lucas and David Gibb
On Friday 14 September we have a change of plan. Unfortunately Jim Causley is not able to appear at the club due to illness, but we are pleased to welcome, for the first time, David Gibb and Elly Lucas, an exciting young duo hailing from Derbyshire in the Midlands who have have previously toured the UK extensively as part of David Gibb & The Pony Club.
David plays the guitars, melodeon and sings; Elly plays fiddle, viola and also sings. From these minimal resources, the twosome produce distinctive vocal leads, haunting harmonies and a quite dense instrumental sound. Their singing is simple and unadorned ‐ check out Elly’s wistful vocal on ‘Blacksmith’ or David’s lead to ‘Jerusalem Cuckoo’. The pair were chosen as finalists in the prestigious BBC Young Folk Awards 2011 and, on the road, have supported such acts as Cara Dillon, Chris Wood, Coope, Boyes and Simpson, Jez Lowe and Megson.
In early 2011, they released their first EP, entitled ‘Three Children Sliding On The Ice’, garnering praise and national airplay from the likes of the Mike Harding Show (BBC Radio 2): Mike Harding says, ‘I was very impressed’. In the autumn of last year, they spent some time in the recording studio with producer Chris Harding, putting the final touches to their début album ‘Old Chairs To Mend’, which was released on HairpinRecords in March this year.
Singers and musicians will be welcome as usual for floor spots before the main event. Reserve tickets (£6) by emailing us via the ‘About the club page’. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.
Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman on 20 July
Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman
Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman make a welcome return to Norwich on Friday 20 July. Dave and Anni joined forces in 1985, after many years around the folk club scene, during which time they featured on several albums made by other performers. Anni has a specialist repertoire of songs originating from her native North East, and Dave has been writing songs in traditional vein since 1982, many of which are widely sung and have become part of the general song repertoire of singers all over the world.
‘If you love traditional music delivered with strength, clarity and simplicity, you certainly won’t be disappointed with this duo’ (Cornwall Folk Festival).
Tickets £8 can be reserved by contacting us via the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.
Singarounds continue in the upstairs room at the Christ Church Centre from 8.30 to 11.30 pm every Friday throughout the summer. Everyone welcome, whether to listen, sing or play.